Browns Donovon Peoples-Jones cashes in by looking good and playing good

Deion Sanders, who never played for the Cleveland Browns, was a flashy dresser and equally flashy player. He loved his crazy outfits. When asked about them he always gave his now famous answer, "You look good, you play good; you play good, they pay good."

Browns wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones must have been paying attention. Last Friday, the NFL announced the recipients of their performance-based pay distributions for the 2022 season. Coming in at No. 11 was Peoples-Jones, who was awarded a $717,642 bonus based on his 2022 performance.

That performance also qualified him for the Proven Performance Escalator. The escalator will increase his base salary to roughly $2.7 million next season. This is a base pay raise from the $895,000 dollars he made in 2022.

The bonus on the performance-based pay distribution will not count against the Browns' cap number in 2022. But the salary increase due to Proven Performance Escalator will count against the 2023 cap.

Peoples-Jones has proven that he can hold down the WR2 position supporting wide receiver Amari Cooper. Having the outside receiver position settled allowed the Browns to focus on adding minor pieces to the offense. It also allowed them to add significant additions to the defense.

After next season, Peoples-Jones will become a free agent. Browns fans can agree that DPJ looks good in a Browns uniform.

He looks good as a Brown. He plays good as a Brown. After next season, the Browns need to pay good.